Catch a wave and read the latest news and views from life at sea on cruise ship vacations by syndicated columnists Jim and Barb Fox.

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Greetings to the many thousands of readers the past month from across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as Russia, France, Germany, Japan, China, India, Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam and Australia.

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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Seattle, WA, May 27, 2015—Un-Cruise Adventures unveils its schedule of Alaska adventure cruises
for 2016 with six small ships sailing 113 departures on seven
itineraries. Two new cruise itineraries—Exploring Muir’s Wilderness and
Yachters’ Alaskan Frontier—sail roundtrip from Juneau.

Six
boutique yachts and small ships—Safari Quest, Safari Explorer, Safari
Endeavour, Wilderness Adventurer, Wilderness Discoverer and Wilderness
Explorer—carry 22-84 guests on adventure cruises lasting one week to 12
days from homeports of Seattle, WA; Ketchikan, Juneau and Sitka, Alaska.
Itineraries may be combined to create longer voyages of 14 to 22 days.

Every
Alaska cruise includes adventure activities in remote
wilderness—hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, skiff excursions and whale
watching. With few or no port calls and flexible itineraries, travelers
spend the week exploring remote wilderness and searching for wildlife.

Three complimentary excursion options offered on each of four different itineraries this summer

Windstar Cruises
is offering spectacular summer savings with the addition of Three Free
Excursions and 50 Percent Savings on sailings in Greece and Turkey this
summer.

The promotion is available on four different itineraries,
including Greek Isles & Turkish Delights; Gems of the Aegean; Black
Sea Tapestry; and Venetian Passageways.

Complimentary shore excursions include adventures like Wine Tasting in Varna, Bulgaria,
with a four hour experience beginning in the Old Quarter of Varna.

A
scenic drive through the modern capital of Bulgaria takes guests to the
Aladja Monastery, declared a national monument of culture. Guests spend
the day tasting Bulgarian wines, guided by a professional sommelier.

Queen Mary 2 (top), Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth on the Mersey against the backdrop of the Three Graces. Credit: James Morgan for Cunard

25 May 2015 –For the first time, Cunard’s fleet gathered together in spectacular fashion in Liverpool, its spiritual home, as the company marked its 175th anniversary.

The event culminated with the three ships - flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria - the
largest passenger ships ever to muster together on the River Mersey,
lined up across the river just 426 feet apart as the Red Arrows
performed a fly-past overhead to the delight of the hundreds of
thousands of spectators.

The Red Arrows fly over Cunard's Three Queens on the Mersey. Credit: James Morgan for Cunard

MIAMI, FL – May 20, 2015 – Celebrity
Cruises is offering guests an
unmatched experience by introducing additional overnight stays on more
than 40 Caribbean sailings for January 2016 and beyond, more than any other
cruise line.

The popularity of Celebrity's current overnight program has
led to 43 newly enhanced itineraries, giving guests the chance to enjoy
exciting evenings in destinations such as Cartagena, Colombia; Philipsburg,
St. Maarten; Cozumel, Mexico; Aruba; Curacao and Barbados.

"Guests and travel agents love our
overnight program in Europe, Asia and around the world, and their feedback
has been amazing. This demand led us to revisit our current Caribbean itineraries
and add even more overnights in one of the most beautiful places we sail
to each year,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises.

Largest and Most Innovative ‘Fun Ship’ Set to Debut in Europe in May 2016

MIAMI (May 26, 2015) – Embodying Carnival Cruise Line’s motto of Fun For
All, All For Fun, the new Carnival Vista will offer family members of
all ages the ultimate vacation experience, debuting a variety of
amazing, one-of-a-kind on-board features when it
enters service next spring.

From a unique suspended cycling experience called SkyRide and the
innovative Family Harbor staterooms and suites featuring a “family
concierge” to cruising’s first IMAX Theater, Carnival Vista promises fun
for the whole family.

“Carnival is the number one cruise line for families carrying more than
700,000 children annually and Carnival Vista will build upon our
leadership position in this area with incredible
outdoor attractions and engaging indoor spaces specifically designed
with families in mind,” said Christine Duffy, Carnival’s president.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Almost 500 Australians
and New Zealanders joined their fellow passengers on the decks of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth
for a very special memorial service last month as the ship sailed the waters off the
Gallipoli Peninsula.

Marking Cunard’s long-standing association with Australian and New Zealand
wartime campaigns, including Gallipoli, the emotional ceremony saw the ship’s
crew and guests lay wreaths in the water in remembrance of the heroic soldiers
who fought in the First World War campaign.

A two-metre high poppy wall floral tribute, shaped as ‘100’ to mark the Anzac
centenary, formed the centrepiece for the ceremony.

The wall was filled with
11,500 red poppies donated by Australians and New Zealanders during Queen
Elizabeth’s calls to Auckland and Sydney as part of her current world cruise,
with the flowers representing the number of Anzacs killed during the campaign.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Seattle – Windstar Cruises
announces their newest Private Event Host, “Royal Chef” Darren McGrady,
as part of the global roll-out of the small ship cruise line’s new Private Event
program in 2015.

Each Windstar sailing now boasts a unique and
complimentary “private event” with a region-specific experience,
allowing guests the opportunity to connect more deeply with the
destination during their cruise.

Chef Darren was personal chef
to Queen Elizabeth II; Diana, Princess of Wales; and Princes William and
Harry for 15 years. Darren will come aboard Windstar’s June 19 Idyllic British Isles sailing as the Private Event Host, attending Windstar’s Private Event at Picton Castle, a 13th
century castle reserved for Windstar guests to explore while enjoying
appetizers, sparkling wine, and music from a Welsh choir.

Guests Can Save up to $700 per Stateroom and Receive Free Onboard Spending Money

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (May 19, 2015) – In honor of Memorial Day, Princess Cruises
is offering cruise deals on itineraries departing from the U.S. to
spectacular vacation destinations including Hawaii, the Caribbean,
Canada & New England, Mexico and the California Coast during the Memorial Day Sale.

Guests
can save up to $700 per stateroom as well as reserve their booking with
a reduced, non-refundable deposit of only $100 per person. In addition
to cruise savings – to thank those who have served – veterans, retired,
disabled and active military guests can receive up to $250 free onboard
spending money with proper verification.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Additionally, Carnival Ecstasy Will Reposition to Charleston, Carnival Fantasy to Miami Next Year

MIAMI – Building on its distinction as the Caribbean cruise
leader, Carnival Cruise Line will reposition the 102,000-ton Carnival
Victory on the line’s popular
five-port, seven-day southern Caribbean cruise schedule from San Juan
beginning in November 2016.

Carnival
Victory offers a wide range of on-board amenities and features,
including more than 500 balcony staterooms that are perfect for watching
the breathtaking Caribbean
scenery. Carnival Victory will carry an estimated 150,000 guests from
San Juan on an annual basis.

In
addition, Carnival announced new ships in two key homeports with
Carnival Ecstasy shifting to Charleston, S.C., and Carnival Fantasy to
Miami in February 2016, providing
exciting new “Fun Ship” cruise options in those markets.

Gates served as the 22nd
secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011, and is the only secretary of
defense in United States history to be asked to remain in that office by
a newly elected President.

Gates has served under President Barak Obama
and President George W. Bush. In his last day in office, President
Barak Obama awarded Gates the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s
highest civilian honour.

“I
am very pleased to be invited into Cunard’s Insights program and to
share stories from my career,” Gates said. “I look forward to meeting
guests from all over the world, and to experiencing one of Queen Mary
2's renowned Transatlantic Crossings."

During the Crossing, Gates will share his insights with guests during two Q&A sessions with Queen Mary 2’s Entertainment Director. Guests will also have the opportunity to attend a book-signing session with Gates during the voyage.

“We
look forward to welcoming the celebrated Robert Gates to the Cunard
Insights programme. We know our guests will enjoy learning about his
significant contributions in public service, his tenure in national
security and about his past and current business ventures,” said Richard
Meadows, president of Cunard, North America.

A dog sled team led by Maliko Ubl from the TEMSCO Helicopters Mendenhall Glacier Dog Sledding Tours and Alaska Icefield Expeditions welcomed Ruby Princess to the port of Juneau during her maiden voyage in Southeast Alaska.

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (May 6, 2015) – Guests aboard Ruby Princess
received a special welcome today as a team of Alaska sled dogs “pulled”
the ship into the port of Juneau, marking the vessel’s maiden voyage in
Southeast Alaska.

The
four-dog sled team, driven by Maliko Ubl of TEMSCO Helicopters
Mendenhall Glacier Dog Sledding Tours and Alaska Icefield Expedition,
mushed their way alongside the cruise ship giving guests an official
Alaska welcome before they disembarked and enjoyed the day exploring
Juneau.

Princess guests even got the chance to meet and take photos with
the dogs before departing for shore excursions to experience the Great
Land.

MIAMI (May 18, 2015) – As part of a new group sales promotion, Carnival
Cruise Line is waiving its initial deposit requirement for group
bookings, as well as offering
a free cruise berth, on a variety of “Fun Ship” departures. The
promotion can be booked from May 18, 2015 through June 30, 2015.

With
the new “Great Group Getaway” promotion, deposits are waived on select
two- to 15-day sailings to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexican Riviera,
Canada and Europe departing
between January 2016 and April 2017.

In addition, travel agents can earn one a
free berth for every 10
full fare guests berthed
(compared to
the current policy of one free berth for every 15 full fare
guests) on all voyages included in the promotion period. On select sailings,
travel agents can also earn one free cruise berth for every eight full fare guests.

On
Oct. 7, 2016, the Disney Magic will sail from New York on an eight-night
Bahamian cruise that includes stops at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay;
Nassau, Bahamas; and Port Canaveral, Florida, which is located just one hour
from the Walt Disney World Resort.

On
Oct. 15, 22 and 29, 2016, the Disney Magic will sail from New York on
seven-night cruises that stop at Castaway Cay and Port Canaveral.

Miami, FL – May
18, 2015 – Celebrity
Cruises and Diageo Global Travel
Americas have partnered to launch the world’s first permanent "World
Class™ Bar”. The striking bar space onboard Celebrity Eclipse
provides interactive and luxurious drinks experiences created by World
Class-certified mixologists.Celebrity is renowned for its highly skilled
and engaging bartenders, and partnering with the world’s leading premium
drinks company provides Celebrity’s expert mixologists with exclusive
menus that feature cutting-edge cocktails - delivering the ultimate high-end
drinks experience for vacationers. World Class Bar debuted on Celebrity
Eclipse and will soon be
followed by bars onboard Celebrity’s four remaining Solstice Class ships.The curated and exclusive menu features
new craft cocktails and a series of "rituals," available only
onboard Celebrity, including:

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Princess Cruises' next new ship scheduled to debut in summer 2017 will be based in China year round.

Sailings Begin in Summer 2017 from Shanghai

Ship is First Year-Round International Luxury Vessel Designed for Chinese Traveler

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (May 5, 2015) – Carnival Corporation & plc, the largest cruise company in the world, announced that the new ship currently under construction for Princess Cruises will be based in China year-round when introduced in summer 2017. Based in Shanghai, the ship will be the first year-round international luxury vessel designed and built specifically for Chinese guests.The
as-yet-unnamed ship is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in
Italy, and will carry approximately 3,600 guests on a variety of
itineraries, to be announced at a later date. Based on the design of its
highly-acclaimed ships Royal Princess and Regal Princess, the new vessel will feature a number of new innovations customized for the growing number of Chinese cruise vacationers.“Deploying our next new ship in China underscores our strong commitment to growing the China cruise
market and providing discerning travelers with amazing vacation
experiences at sea,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises.

Tributes were paid by Cunard at the grave of its founder, Sir Samuel Cunard, on the 150th anniversary of his passing on 28 April 1865.

David
Dingle, Chairman of Cunard, was joined by several of Sir Samuel’s
descendents including four of his great great grandchildren: Tom
Charrington, Giles Charrington, Antonia Young and Teresa Tildon. Their
Mother, Barbara Cunard, was the fourth daughter of Cyril Grant Cunard,
who was a son of William Cunard. He was one of Sir Samuel’s nine
children. So William was their great grandfather and Sir Samuel their
great great grandfather.

Cunard
has had Sir Samuel’s final resting place at Brompton Cemetery in London
refurbished in this anniversary year for the company.

Prior
to each laying a wreath both David Dingle and Tom Charrington paid
tribute to the man who changed the face of ocean travel forever.

Norwegian’s
largest ship will cruise the Western Mediterranean this summer,
debuting new entertainment highlights, and sail Canary Islands &
Morocco itineraries during the winter

Norwegian Cruise Line’s largest ship, Norwegian Epic, has arrived in Barcelona, Spain to begin her summer season of seven-night
Mediterranean sailings.

The award-winning Norwegian Epic features a new
entertainment line-up for her new homeport, debuting throughout 2015.

Two new Broadway shows will take the stage as headliners: Burn the Floor and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – The Musical,
coming in October. The ship will also feature an all-new British pop
music entertainment experience, The Cavern Club, bringing the legendary
Liverpool venue where the Beatles performed to life at sea.

with Shipboard Concerts by The Band Perry, BOSTON, Lionel Richie and Heart

MIAMI – Crank it up to 11, music fans! Carnival
Cruise Line has unveiled the roster of artists for its upcoming Carnival
LIVE concert series, adding The
Band Perry, BOSTON, Lionel Richie and Heart to the diverse and talented
lineup of musical acts set to perform on board the “Fun Ships” this
summer and fall.

The
shows complement the highly anticipated spring series which kicked off
last month and includes performances by Journey, Rascal Flatts, Little
Big Town, Smokey Robinson
and Styx.

Bringing
the best of musical entertainment to the seas, Carnival LIVE is a
one-of-a-kind entertainment option that provides guests an opportunity
to experience captivating
concerts by major musical artists at a tremendous value. Concerts are
held in the ships’ intimate main theaters – ranging in guest capacity
from 900 to 1,300 – meaning there’s never a bad seat in the house.

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Princess Cruises
has debuted its 2016-2107 Exotics program which will take guests to
fascinating cruise destinations around the globe. With 58 departures
ranging from three to 111 days, these exotic cruise itineraries go on
sale May 28.

The diverse deployment includes four cruise ships
sailing on 38 unique itineraries throughout six continents, visiting 70
destinations and 40 countries. Guests will be able to book cruises to
South America, Southeast Asia, Japan and China. In addition, cruisers
will experience less-traveled ports aboard the cruise line’s small ship
that will circumvent the globe on 111-day World Cruise sailings
roundtrip from Los Angeles or Ft. Lauderdale.

“Our
Exotics program will continue to offer our guests the chance to travel
to fascinating destinations around the globe resulting in lifelong
memories of different cultures and people,” said Jan Swartz, Princess
Cruises president. “We’re proud that our award-winning itineraries
position us as a destination leader in the cruise industry.”

Sunday, May 3, 2015

27 April 2015 - Sting delighted audiences in his hometown
with songs from his latest album and Broadway musical ‘The Last Ship’ on 24th
and 25th April 2015 to benefit the Sage Gateshead 10th Birthday Appeal. These
were the only UK performances of their kind and were supported by Cunard in the
company's 175th anniversary year.

Cunard has historic links to the shipyards of the Tyne and a proud heritage
with the North East. This great partnership saw 23 Cunard ships being built on
Tyneside, 15 of them at Swan Hunter including ones that became the stuff of
legend like the four-funnelled Mauretania and Carpathia, which rescued all the
survivors from Titanic.

Sting said: “‘The Last Ship’ stories are based on the community I was brought up in, the
shipbuilding community of Wallsend, and so to bring it back here like this is a
wonderful honour and very emotional. I’m thrilled to be here.

Offerings Include Brand-New Itineraries and Longer Visits in Select Ports

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (May 1, 2015) – Princess Cruises
has announced its 2016-2017 Americas cruise itineraries including
sailings to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico, Hawaii, the West Coast
and Canada & New England, as well as land and sea vacations. The
array of cruise vacations departing from U.S. ports range from three to
28 days and go on sale May 21.In
total, 10 ships with 255 departures on 62 itineraries visiting more
than 80 destinations will be sailing between September 2016 and April
2017. Cruises will offer guests the opportunity for a quick getaway or a
longer cruise vacation on the line given the “Best Itineraries” award
by readers of Recommend magazine for a record-setting nine consecutive years and “Best Itineraries” in the Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards for 2013 and 2014.Highlights
include brand-new six- and eight-day Caribbean itineraries, evening and
overnight stays in certain destinations to allow guests to see even
more of these special locations, the first roundtrip Panama Canal voyage
for Princess Cruises departing from Los Angeles since 2009, shorter
five-day fall Canada & New England getaways, a more expansive 14-day
Canada & New England itinerary and new land and sea vacations to
explore the East Coast.

Popular promotion includes a newly added option for free Internet access

Norwegian
Cruise Line has expanded its popular Freestyle Choice promotion through
the month of May, providing guests with the freedom and flexibility to
enjoy up to $1,200 in value to enhance their cruising experience.

With
Norwegian’s Freestyle Choice, guests who book a new three-day or longer
cruise vacation nowthrough May 31, 2015 have the freedom to select up to four great offers†including
a newly added option of free wifi, along with a free specialty dining
credit, free shore excursion credit, and free onboard credit. These
offers are in addition to Friends& Family Savings, where the third through eighth guest in each stateroom can even sail for free*.

During
Norwegian’s Freestyle Choice, cruisers who book a suite or The Haven by
Norwegian™ will receive all four offers, valued at up to $1,200. Guests
who cruise an ocean view, balcony or mini-suite stateroom are free to
choose one great offer and will receive Friends & Family Savings.

Shelton, CT ̶̶ In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, Autism
on the Seas™ (AotS), the leading travel organization catering to
vacationers with autism and other developmental disabilities, today announced
that Celebrity Cruiseshas received the Silver Level “Autism Friendly” certification from AotS.

The important designation qualifies the modern luxury cruise line’s efforts to
accommodate guests with autism and developmental disabilities for inclusion and
participation in its cruise vacation experience.